Mel @ Sea

Although my life at sea has ended, the memories are alive and well. With the holiday season in full force, I am reminded of the great opportunities I have been given, and the amazing journey that has brought me to where I am today. ( I know what you are thinking; cheesy opener Melissa. Blame the rum cake, and get some yourself, because the next paragraph is a little mushy gushy too!) The holidays are a time of year filled with long-standing traditions. Families gather around the table in November to give thanks for the blessings in their lives and break bread with each other (or in my case, see how much green bean casserole can fit in one human stomach.) The Advent season begins as families again join one another in decorating the Christmas tree, setting up the nativity, baking cookies, hanging lights outside the house, and exchanging gifts. These traditions bring us closer to each other as we reflect on the birth of Jesus. It is the part of the year when the time spent with fam...

Well this crazy trip has continued to keep me on the go and off the blog, but I found a moment to sit down and get this thing up to date. The adventures never stop and I never complain about that. As I said in my last blog post, the ship sailed through the Panama canal. I didn't, but the ship did. How you may ask? Stay tuned to find out! I have said time and time again that working for Norwegian gives me opportunities I would never have otherwise, and the canal day was definitely one of them. As the photo manager, I was given the opportunity to climb down a rope ladder off the side of the ship and stand on the actual locks of the canal as the ship was passing through to capture the whole day! The first lock was the Mira Flores lock. I strapped on my hard hat and headed out on the lock. I think the local Panamanians were impressed by how fearless I was about climbing out on the locks. All good photographers know it is worth risking your life to get the best shot righ...